'The Pride of Bharat: Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj' chronicles the life of Maratha warrior king

Mumbai, Feb 16 (IANS) The upcoming film ‘The Pride of Bharat: Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj’ will showcase the life of the Maratha warrior king. The poster of the film was unveiled by Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari.

The film also marks Sandeep Singh's second film as a director. This is for the first time that a film on Shivaji Maharaj will be made in several languages like Hindi, English, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Marathi.

Talking about the film, Sandeep Singh said: "It's taken me 23 years of hard struggle to build and create a position to debut as a director for my first mega budget film, ‘The Pride of Bharat - Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj’.There could be nothing better than this. I have been working on the script since 2019, five years of labour and love. I hope our audience will appreciate our film and the efforts invested in it.”

He further mentioned that he has always been fascinated by Indian history, and that there could be no bigger Maharaj in this world other than Chhatrapati Shivaji.

The cast of the film will be locked soon. Other members of the unit like the director of photography Aseem Bajaj, director of choreography Ganesh Hegde, costume designer Sheetal Sharma, production designer Sandeep Sharad Ravade, and Kavish Sinha have come on-board. National Award-winning composer Devi Sri Prasad has been roped in to score the music of the film.

Talking about Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj's influence in the current times, Sandeep Singh said: "Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj was crowned very early in his growing up years. For his age, he was extremely sharp and intelligent and fit the responsibility that came with the crown.”

“His short stature underplayed his inner bravery and strength, while his acute mind came up with unique strategies to tackle the enemies effectively. For example, he deliberately used the tough terrains of the Western ghats to fight battles as the rough and uneven ghats made it difficult for the enemy to gain access to his territory. There's so much to learn from his life's story. All information about the ruler has been confined to the Maratha region. I want the world to know about his achievements as a king,” he added.

The film, presented by Immerso Studios and Legend Studios, will hit the theatres on January 23, 2026.